Web-holder mechanism for knitting-machines



R. W. SCOTT.

WEB HOLDER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.30 1919.

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R. W. SCOTT.

WEB HOLDER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION men sEPLso. 1919.

'1,345,408. Patented July 6, 1920.

'I 2 SHEvETS-fSHEET 2.

1,"1 f Jig' z 'rs g o f o 0 o I UNITED STTES ,PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF BABYLON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS, IN-

CORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF MASACHUSETT S.

WEB-HOLDER MEGHANISM FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Original application filed December 31, 1914, Serial No. 879,887. Divided and this application filed i I September'30, 1919,

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT W. Soor'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Babylon, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York; have inventednew and useful Improvements in Web-Holder Mechanism for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in web-holder mechanism for knitting machines, and more particularly relates to webholder mechanism adapted to be made operative or inoperative, for instance in response to the automatic indications of pattern mechanism controlling the Operations of the machine. i

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, knitting machines provided with movable web-holders have included actuating devices for the web-holders always in operative contact with or in positive controlling relation' to the web-holders, whether the purpose of the devices is to cause motion of the web-holders,

' or 'is to maintain the web-holders inactive at one or another part of the path of motion given the web-holders when actuated. Such operation of the web-holders is prohibitive of useful function for the webholr'lers and detrimental to the fabric produced in-certain types of knitting machinery, and its employment sets limitations upon the uses of, or dictates undesirable constructions or operations'of, other a encies of the machine. I have therefore devised new webholder mechanism well adapted to use in knitting machinery for many desirable purposes, for instance to begin or to end. actuation of the web-holders in cordination with the beginning and ending of a coperative movement of the needles or other parts'I of the machine. In connection with the beginning or ending of actuation of the needles and other parts upon commencing to knit (as when establishing or ceasing to knit at an additional knitting wave) the particulai' Character of the beginning and ending phases of the motion of the web-holders' is of great importance to correct and certain function of the knitting instruments.

This invention provides new mechanism for the actuation and automatic cessation and resumption of actuation of Web-holders. I shall describe the invention in connection Patented July 6, 1920.

Serial No. 327,392.

with one particular species adapted to use lin a machine for knitting both single-course and double or multiple-course fabrics, including relatively complete articles of hosiery such as stockings having integral welts, mock-rib tops, and seamless legs, heels and toes, the particular machine shown being adapted to make at desired parts of the fabric Sections of mock-rib or accordion, tucked or other multiple-course fabric of well-known old structure, and being described and claimed in my copendin application 'for Letters Patent of the nited States Serial No. 87 9,887 filed December 81, 1914, of which this application is a divison, now Patent No. 1,317,897, Oct. 7, 1919. But it will be understood that the invention isV independent of the particular machine chosen to illustrate one species of thegenus comprising the invention and herein claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary right side elevation of a circular machine provided with the web-holder mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a lplan illustrating thel parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is an under plan of the web-holder cap? ring; o

igs. 11 and 5 are Sections on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, illustrating two different positions of the auxiliary Web-holder cam; v

F igs. 6, 7 and 8 are detailed elevations of web-holders having butts of three different leigths;

ig. 9 is a detail illustrating a modification of the webholders and auxiliary webholder cam; and i Fig. 10 is an under plan of an auxiliary advancing cam for the web-holders.

Referring to the drawings, the machine may be of the general type illustratedl by my prior Letters Patent No. 1,152,850 dated September 7, 1915, and No. 1,148,055 dated July 27, 1915. Such a machine comprises a rotary needle cylinder 260 and reciprocatory mechanism in time with the' passage. past a given point of a particular segment of the cylinder 260, indications on this surface being employed to actuate instrumentalities of the machine. Cams placed on the drum 120 may be employed to operate instruments coperating with the needle cylinder by transmitting their indications to thrustbars 460, for instance, mounted and operating as explained in my said Letters Patent. The needle cylinder may carry the usual long-butt series and the usual short-butt series of knitting needles, for operation as explained in my said application Serial No. 879,887, by cams including an auxiliary knitting cam mounted on a slide 2, Fig. 2 for movement radially of the needle-cylinder into and out of contact With ythe butts of the needles, as determined by the position of a lever 20 coperating with a cam 26a on a thrust-bar 26 worked by suitable cams 517 on drum 120.

Upon standard 401 at the rear of the machine the usual latch-guard ring 550 may be pivoted at 552, to rest When in operation on the standard 400 at the front of the .machine. A main yarn-feeding and yarnchanging mechanism may comprise yarn changing fingers F pivoted at 554 on the latch--ring, in position for operation by some of the thrust-bars 460, for instance as fully .explained in my Letters Patent No. 1,238,052

dated August 21,'1917.

The needle cylinder 260 carries an at-; tached web-holder bed 295, Figs. 1, 4 and 5,v

which may be the same as that of my said patents.

A Web-holder cam cap 300'is` mounted for free rotation on an annular shoulder of said bed 295, said cap being held stationary in each direction by one of the adjustment screws 303 in lugs 304 straddling the standard 400, as usual. I

On said cam cap, to coperate with the needles and the main knitting cams as explained in my said patent No. 1,152,850, an out-throw cam 306 and adjustable 'in-throw cams 309 are provided in coperation With the independently movable lweb-holders 292 carried in radial grooves in the bed 295. The machine may also be provided with an automatically adjustable cam 312 for shiftng the time of actuation of the web-holders 292 having long butts 29 at the region of the main stitch cams. Cam cap 300 is provided with a concentric groove 305 for maintaining the web-holders, except as described below, in their advanced position.

The machine is provided with suitable devices for lifting or advancing all of the rial knit double-course without disturbance of the device for knitting the plain singlecourse parts of the article, or of the function of the devices for the usual stocking knit- I ting purposes.

For the purposes suggested it is particularly desirable to cause the Web-holders 292 to coperate with the supplemental stitch cam, or With the intervening needles affected by other cams coperating with this cam during the knitting of the double course mock-rib or accordion fabric. To avoid stretching and wear upon retained loops due to withdrawing and inserting the Webholders in the absence of the auxiliary knitting wave, and other objections to moving the web-holders during single-course knitting, it is desirable to restore the Web-holders to their normal Operating path during the periods of inaction of the auxiliary cams.

For the making of such articles, having predetermined Sections of plain single vcourse fabric and double course fabric of any kind, it is also necessary to feed a yarn in proper relation to the knitting wave formed at the supplemental stitch cams. Means for feeding an auxiliary yarn w to the auxiliary ,or second wave in the needles may comprise a guide 51 for the auxiliary yarn mounted on the end of a lever overhanging the latch 4ring 550 and pivoted at 554 on the same axis as the pivoted yarnfingers F for the main yarns 1 the parts at the latch-ring being suitably recessed to permit guide 51 to come into operative relation to needles advanced to take yarn from it, as explained more at length in my said parent application Serial No. 879,887 and claimed in m copending divisional application Seo. 327,393, of even date herewith.

The auxiliary yarn guide lever 50 is lowered to its operative position and elevated to its inoperative position b an actuatlng lever 70 pivoted on an extenslon of the latch ring pivot 552, said lever 70 having an enlargement 71 taking over the bent upper end of thrust bar 26, and said lever also being provided With a shoulder 72 taking under a of the lugs 304 a lever 85 extends above the w part of the periphery of the cam cap 300 lying toward the observer in Fig. 1. Lever 85 'terminates at 86 in a' flat upon which plunger 75 rests, is normally mamtained in an elevated position by a spring plunger carried in nipple 87, and is held onhl` its pivot 303 by collar 84.

Lever 1s rotated on stud 552 to elevate auxiliary yarn guide lever 50 and to permit lever 85 to be elevated by its spring plunger, for instance by a relatively strong spring 73 attached to said lever 70 at one end and to a limit screw 22 carried by bracket 21 at its other end, whenever cams 517 on drum 120 permit thrust bar 26 t,`o be. lowered.

Referring now' to Figs. 3, 4'and 5, an auxiliary wthdrawing cam 88 for the webholders 292 is carried by the lever 85 for substantially ivertical movement about the pivot 303 as a center. Said cam may comlprise a plate adjustably fastened by screws 89 on the upper surface. of lever 85, said plate having a downward extension cam shaped at its Working end substantially as shown in Fig. l3, and capable when lever 85 is depressed of entering a cut 90:,formed through web-holder cam cap 300 to stand across concentric groove 305 at the proper point in relation to the needles elevated to knit at the auxiliary cam on slide 2.

For durability of construction and 4ac- -curacy of operation I prefer to build up the cam cap 300 as illustrated in Figs. 3,4: and 5 of a separate incomplete shouldered annulus 301, which may be of hardened steel, sprung in place to form the inner margin of groove 305, the main body of said ring 300 comprising a casting having lugs 304 and enlargements 317, and a turned flat on its under side to form the floor of the groove 305, a turned depending outer flange 318 `providing a running bearing upon the shouldered web-holder bed 295. w

The main web-holder withdrawing cam 30G- is provided with beveled ends, and may be fastened to cap 300 by screws 319, thus filling the gap formed inring 301', which is cut away on a chord of thecircle defined by* it, in such a manner as to 4leave no sharp edges at the meeting-points of cam and ring to cause breakage of Web-holder butts. Ring 301 determines the inmost position of the' web-holders, and the described construction, enabling it to be hardened as a protection against the rebound of the web-holder butts,

andienablingeasy'removal and assembly, is.

of importance to the operation of the machine.

A flattened ortion of ring 301, as at 320, may be rovi ed to permit cam 88 to stand across t e circu'lar path of the Web-holder Vbutts, The opening 90 for the movement of cam 88; may be formed as an open depression in the inner face of cap 300, as shown,

ring 301 when in place closing the inner part of said opening. Outward movement g which slot said cam 91 is frictionally held' in its. adjusted position by countersunk pinch'screws 94 taking into enlarged bores .96 (F ig. 10) in said 'cam 91, one end of which is an adjustable advancing cam for movementvof the web-holders 292 inward to a their normal concentric path 305. This path is such as to cause the web-holders to project between the needles, to maintain the yarn under a ufficient tension against the shanks lof the needles.

The relative position of the wave formed by the web-holder cam 88 and the wave formed by the auxiliary needle Operating devices is such as to maintain said' webholders forward to hold down the web during the advance of the needles, and to reinsert said web-holders prior to, at or near the most depressed position of the needles due to the auxiliary cams, thereby again advancing'the web-holders prior to rise of the needles at or preceding the main knitting wave, and thus to secure the passage behind the advancing needles which have not taken yarn w at the supplemental yarn feed ofthe fioats or sinker Wales of said yarn w.

For automatic operation, it is desirable to move' the cam slide 2, when the auxiliary `ents,l it is desirable to operate some of the web-holders at cam 31-2, for instance those associated with the short butt needles, so S as to draw longer stitches local1y,-and'1forl this purpose sald web-'holders are'pro-fnded with long butts as illustrated-at29 in Fig.

v6, the remaining web-holders being'` provided with short butts as at 28; Fig. 8.

The firstfmovement of'bar 26,' lever. 70, and lever lwillv vthere'fore ,occr' duringv passage at the auxiliary" stitch cams of vneedles having short butts and of web-holdllt" ers having long butts, but it is desirable at` this time to establish the auxiliary `vvave in theweb-holders, and for this purpose the cam 88 must enter upon the series of web- 305. This can not be done with respect to the unbroken series of long butt web-holders 29, and I therefore provide among said long butt web-holders certain having intermediate holders traveling in the concentric groovev w butts 27, Fig. 10, upon which the said cam 88 may enter to first operatively encounter and move outward a web-holder having a long butt 29 following the series 27.

An alternative structure for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 9, showing a cam 88a having a beveled operative face and a webholder having a butt 29a beveled onvthe side toward the center of the needle carrier, so that movement of the cam transversely to the path of the web-holder butts will force enough of them outwardly to permit the cam to enter its final operative position.

It will now be understood without further description that the operation of thrust bar 26 ysecures entrance of the auxiliary yarn guide, entrance of the auxiliary stitch cam, of the auxiliary supplemental cam, and entrance of the auxiliaryweb-holder cam 88. The devices described accomplish the movement of said Web-holders, beginning at a predetermined point, through their full retraction and advance without moving any of them to an intermediate position only.

The exit of the auxiliary web-holder cam 88 occurs during the passage of the short butt needles and preferably at that section of the web-holders provided with the medium butts 28 placed among web-holders having the long butts 29 associated with the short butt segment of the needles. But the cam 88 may be withdrawn in any position without displacing the Web-holders, the in-throw. cam 91 movlng all the web-holders in to their normal concentric position. It will be observed that the actuating lever does not positively move either lever 50 to introduce the yarn or lever 85 to enter the Webholder cam, movement of said actuated parts being due to spring 53 and spring plunger 75, whereby accidents of timing will not cause breakage of parts.

It will be observedothat the devices for actu atin the web-holders as above described provide or the automatic beginning and the automatic ending ofI a wave of motion in the web-holders characterized by fully retracting the first web-holder encountered by the cam 88, the next preceding web-holder remaining in its normal concentric path. Unless this function were secured, the first needles to be advanced and retracted by the devices on slide 2 for causing the auxliary needle-Wave would encounter some webholder in an intermediate position. If any of the web-holders were then'held rigidly in an intermediate or advanced position, the retracting needles of the newly-established wave would either break the yarn w or draw abnormally long loops against the hooljred tops ;of the web-holders. The advancing movement of the needles could also, if any of the web-holders were left, at the end of their actuation, for instance, in an incorrect withdrawn position, result in, causing the fabric-loops to ride above the web-holder hooks, so that the needles could not cast off at the next succecding knitting wave. reakage of machine parts as well as damage to the product is thus avoided. The described devices for Operating the webholders not only prevent, in the illustrative application to a, particular type of machine, these occurrences, but they constitute a simple and reliable construction adapted to be applied Without change and with little effort and expense to other machines of the same or other types, there to secure the same advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A knitting machine having in combination needles, knitting cams, movable webholders, a web-holder cam-cap, and a Web-- holder actuating .cam mounted on said cam-l cap for movement into and out of contact with said Web-holders in a direction transverse to the path of operative movement of said Web-holders.

2. Alweb-holder mechanism for knitting machines comprising an apertured cam-cap, and a web-holder withdrawing cam movable through said aperture into and out of contact with said web-holders.

8. A web-holder cam-Cap for knitting machines having a circular web-holder groove therein and ,having a withdrawing cam thereon movable transversely to the plane defined by said circular groove.

4. A web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having therein means for supporting a series of web-holders having Operating butts and means for Operating the web-holders comprising a cam for advancing and.a cam for withdrawing the web-holders, means to support one of said cams for mo tion` into .and out of the path of motion of the web-holder butts, and means for moving said last named supporting means.

5. A web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having therein means for supporting a series of web-holders having Operating butts, means for Operating the web-holders comprising a withdrawing cam and ineans for supporting said cam for ,motion into and out of contact with the Operating butts of the web-holders.

6. A web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having therein means for supporting a series of web-holders having Operating butts, of different len ths, and means for operating the web-hol ers comprising a cam for advancing and a cam for withdrawing the Web-holders, means to support4 one of said cams for motion into and out of the path of motion of the web-holder butts, and means for moving said support to first engage the cam With the longer butts.

7. A web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having therein means for supporting a series of web-holders having Operating butts, means for Operating the web-holders comprising a withdrawing cam and means for supporting said cam for motion into and out of contact With the operating butts of the Web-holders, and means for moving the support in stages, first to engage the longer and thereafter to engage any of the operating butts.

8. Web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having a rotary needle cylinder and a rotating web-holder bed attached to the needle cylinder having therein movable Web-holders, comprising a cap having thereon cams for actuating the web-holders, one of'said cams having a mounting movable transversely of the direction of motion of the Web-holders, and means for moving the mounting at predetermined times whereby to introduce into and witlidraw the cam from operative contact with the web-holders. a 9. Web-holder mechanism for knitting machines having a rotary needle cylinder and a rotating web-holder bed attached to the needle cylinder having therein movable web-holders, comprising a cap having thereon cams for actuating the Web-liolders, one

'of said cams having a mounting movable transversely of the direction of motion of the Web-holders, and means comprising a pattern surface, indications on tlie surface, and connections operated tliereby for moving the mounting at predetei'mined times whereby to introduce into and withdraw the cam from operative contact with the webholders.

10. A knitting machine having therein, in combination With the' machine frame, the needle-cylinder, the Web-'holder bed, a series of Web-holders carried by the bed, and a cam-cap, the cam-cap and bed being relatively revoluble, actuating means for the Web-holders comprising a mounting movable on the cam-Cap in a direction transverse to the relative direction of motion of the Webholders, a cam for actuating said web-holders carried by said mounting, and means mounted on the machine frame for positioning said mounting and actuating cam.

11. A knitting machine having therein, in combination, yarn feeding means including a yarn-guide movable into and out of operative relation to the needles; web-holder actuating mechanism including a cam movable into and out of operative relation to. Webholders; a pattern-surface, and means between said pattern surface and said yarnfeeding and web-holder actuating mechanism for simultaneously moving them into and out of operative position.

12. A knitting machine having therein, in combination, yarn feeding means including a yarn-guide pivoted to swing down into and up out of operative relation to the needles; web-holder actuating mechanism including .into and out of said and up out of operative relation to webholders; a pattern-surface, and means between said pattern surface and said yarnfeeding and web-liolder actuating mechanism including a lever for simultaneously swinging said yarn-guide ,and web-holder cam up and down.

13. A Web-holder cam-cap for use in knitting machines comprising a track or way for the web-holder butts, a movable cam-mounting attached to the c'ap for movement transversely to the plane of said track or way, and a Web-holder actuating cam mounted on said cam-mounting for entrance into and Withdrawal from said track or way.

14. A Web-holder' mechanism comprising a series of web-holders, their carrier, and a cam-Cap having therein a track or way for web-holder butts, and having an apertiire exposing said butts, a mounting on the camcap, a cam on the mounting adapted in one position of the mounting to enter said aperture, means tending to move the cam out of contact With the butts, and pattern controlled means lfor moving the mounting to engage the cam With the butts.

15. A web-holder' mechanism comprising a series of web-holders having therein a segment having butts difl'ering from butts of the remainder of the series, their carrier, and a cam-Cap having therein'a track or 'Way for Web-holder butts, and having an aperture exposing said butts, a mounting on the camcap, a cam on the mounting adapted in one position of the mounting to enter said aperture, means tending to move the cam out of contact with the'butts, and means for moving the mounting at predetermined times during the passage of said segment of the web-holder butts, whereby to engage the cam 'with the butts of the remainder of the webholders.

16. A Web-holder cam-cap for knitting machines having abutments to determine its rotative position in relation to parts to be operated by it, a cam for Operating the parts,

and a le'ver pivoted on the cap in relation to one of the abutments and supporting the cam for motion into and out of operative position.

17. A web-holder cam-cap made as an annulus having a bearing-fiange and a central opening, and having an aperture through the floor of a groove defined between said fiange and the remainder of the cap, an internal ring forming another wall of the groove in the cap, and having mounted thereon a web-holder actuating cam movable aperture. Signed by me at i ew York, N. Y., this 29th day of September, 1919.

ROBERT W. sco'r'r,l 

